The Invisible SNARE
January 15, 2008
The allure of selling is both ego-boosting and economically reinforcing! If successful, the artist faces some less obvious consequences. Buyers and galleries expect consistency. This pressure has kept many artists from deviating from what they know sells. In the “long haul” it can thwart creative expression.
Part of what inspires me about Virginia Cobb is her dedication to personal growth. Although she “sells well” (she is the first to acknowledge that she is lucky on that score), she does not let “what is expected of her” keep her from changing and experimenting. She must first make herself happy, all else is secondary.
This conundrum will be or has been faced by many in the visual arts whether they know it or not. The “money” might be praise from a friend, critique group or spouse. We let THEM tell us what they think works. We need to consider our own motives in the mix of motivations.
I am not a snob where “motive” is involved. Painting to make someone else happy is valid and can be very rewarding, graphic designers and illustrators do that all the time. What I’m saying is you can save yourself a lot of consternation when you make that decision consciously. Think about who you are painting for and why. When you’ve answered that question, many other things will fall into place.
Here is an extended quote from Virginia:
“People ask me of a painting ‘what is it about’, but a painting is not about something or necessarily of something…it IS something. It must stand on its own without words to explain it or it has not succeeded. I want my paintings to make people ask questions of themselves, not of me… to respond in some way to the image.”
We are the luckiest of all people… we create our own stage and the set, we are the actors and the audience, the story is ours. Painting is an act of faith, it requires us to believe in our ideas and thoughts and choices. Far safer to walk along the shore of what has already been done, but if you have the courage to step out onto the clear surface of the unknown the possibilities are unlimited. Every painting is about that.”
~Lynn ~